Monday, August 26, 2002

Need For Read

I need something new to read. Just finished reading "A&R" by Bill Flanagan.




Flanagan is a music journalist who's written for Rolling Stone and other such publications. I had read a previous book of his, a bio on U2 called U2 - At The End Of The World, which I found quite engrossing. He had complete access to the band around the time leading up to and during the recording of their Achtung Baby album (still one of my faves) and ZooTV tour. It offered a real sense of behind-the-scenes access into the machinations of one of the biggest bands in the world (then in the process of reclaiming its cred).

"A&R" is a novel about the world of big record labelsóthe ethical abuses, the compromises, the power politics, the changing of the guard from the 1960s eccentric, swashbuckling pioneers (one character seems die-cast from Island Records founder Chris Blackwell) to the current reign of the bean-counters. Not a great work of literature, but a good read. Considering Flanagan's experience with the industry, it's also quite insightful.

But now what do I read? I think I feel like something a little mind-bending and perhaps a bit twisted. I'm thinking maybe something in the neighbourhood of Kurt Vonnegut. I've read "Breakfast Of Champions"ówhich I loved!óand, of course, "Slaughterhouse Five". Any suggestions? "Cat's Cradle"? "Timequake"?

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